Farkash: It's Not an 'Arab Spring,' But an 'Arab Tsunami'

The “Arab Spring” has turned into an “Arab Tsunami,” said former head of military intelligence, Aharon-Ze'evi Farkash.

Contact Editor

David Lev, 08/09/13 21:52

Arab protest (illustrative)

Israel news photo: Flash 90

The “Arab Spring” has turned into an “Arab Tsunami,” said former head of military intelligence, Aharon-Ze'evi Farkash. Farkash was speaking Sunday at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism's (ICT) World Summit on Counter-Terrorism, taking place at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center (IDC),

He continued to posit that restive populations in the Arab world were bringing their leaders to account for long-standing abuses against them – and that Israel could not and must not allow itself to get dragged into these conflicts.

“We are living in a time and situation when citizens of Arab countries are taking their leaders to task,” Farkash said. “Syrians are settling the score with Bashar al-Assad, and Egyptians are settling scores with Mohammed Morsi. Even here in Israel we saw signs of this, two years ago during the summer of mass protests against high prices, and I am not sure that we will not see more of this.

“In my opinion, the Arab world did not go through a 'spring,' and the bloody revolutions are not an 'Arab fall.' This is an 'Arab tsunami,'” said Farkash. “There is no process of democratization going on, but a long process of attempts to restore the rights of citizens in these countries.

“We must allow these processes to continue without interfering,” Farkash said, adding that “Israel must act in a manner with sensitivity to the situation in these countries.”